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Ithaca Public Relations
| The Insider - John Edwards' Media Disaster |
THE JOHN EDWARDS MEDIA DISASTER
Former Presidential candidate John Edwards has now admitted he
fathered a child with a member of his campaign staff. The admission
comes two weeks before a former aide releases a “tell all” book, stating
that Edwards went to great lengths to cover up the matter. It also comes
after he publicly denied the child was his.
The Insider doesn’t care that Edwards fathered the child. It cares
tremendously that he lied about it.
THE NUMBER ONE RULE OF MEDIA RELATIONS
NEVER lie to the news media.
Upon learning that Edwards admitted the child was his, it took The Insider
less than two minutes to find the ABC Nightline interview in which he
denied fathering the child. Click here to watch the video.
Don’t lie on YouTube, either.
This is the internet age… and it’s an age in which our comments to the
media will never completely go away.
A BETTER APPROACH
Lying to the media is unethical. And dangerous. Simply telling the truth is
often the best thing to do, and the best way to make a negative news
story go away. The next best option is to not address the issue directly.
As the Edwards campaign started to falter, the media began to
increasingly focus on his personal life. It would have been perfectly fine
for him to say, “These are personal matters for our family, and I won’t be
discussing them publicly.”
Any self-respecting reporter would have dug in and continued to push the
point. The American public probably would have presumed he was guilty
at that point. Edwards would have had to stand his ground and stick to
his “personal matters” statement. But, in doing so, the story today would
be that he fathered the child, not that he fathered it, lied about it, and
then told the truth in advance of a “tell all” book.
John Edwards wouldn’t even be in the news right now, if he’d simply told
the truth. His Presidential campaign would have still come to an end, but
the story would have gone away much more quickly, instead of dogging
him as it did for several weeks, and coming back to bite him again, as it
has now.
WHAT'S HELPING EDWARDS... AT THE MOMENT
John Edwards is lucky. Or, he may have taken a calculated risk in the
face of the upcoming book, and chosen to come clean now. The Haitian
earthquake relief efforts, and the future of health care reform following
the election of a republican to the U.S. Senate, are overshadowing his
story. Releasing negative news in this manner, when other major events
are capturing the media and the public’s attention, is a strategy to
consider. But there’s risk. The media may choose to shift it’s attention to
the announcement. That won’t happen in this case, but the risk is always
there.
THE STORY ISN'T OVER
There are questions about whether John Edwards used campaign funds
to try to cover up or in some way silence the people involved in his
current debacle. That’s a violation of federal law that could mean jail time
for Edwards. A federal investigation will also mean more negative news
coverage.
Let’s quickly recap… a denial and a lie, leading to weeks of negative
news coverage. An admission (which puts the negative story back into
the press) in advance of a tell-all book, (which will generate more
negative press). A potential investigation, (and prolonged negative media
coverage), about the use of campaign funds.
NEVER lie to the media.
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fathered a child with a member of his campaign staff. The admission
comes two weeks before a former aide releases a “tell all” book, stating
that Edwards went to great lengths to cover up the matter. It also comes
after he publicly denied the child was his.
The Insider doesn’t care that Edwards fathered the child. It cares
tremendously that he lied about it.
THE NUMBER ONE RULE OF MEDIA RELATIONS
NEVER lie to the news media.
Upon learning that Edwards admitted the child was his, it took The Insider
less than two minutes to find the ABC Nightline interview in which he
denied fathering the child. Click here to watch the video.
Don’t lie on YouTube, either.
This is the internet age… and it’s an age in which our comments to the
media will never completely go away.
A BETTER APPROACH
Lying to the media is unethical. And dangerous. Simply telling the truth is
often the best thing to do, and the best way to make a negative news
story go away. The next best option is to not address the issue directly.
As the Edwards campaign started to falter, the media began to
increasingly focus on his personal life. It would have been perfectly fine
for him to say, “These are personal matters for our family, and I won’t be
discussing them publicly.”
Any self-respecting reporter would have dug in and continued to push the
point. The American public probably would have presumed he was guilty
at that point. Edwards would have had to stand his ground and stick to
his “personal matters” statement. But, in doing so, the story today would
be that he fathered the child, not that he fathered it, lied about it, and
then told the truth in advance of a “tell all” book.
John Edwards wouldn’t even be in the news right now, if he’d simply told
the truth. His Presidential campaign would have still come to an end, but
the story would have gone away much more quickly, instead of dogging
him as it did for several weeks, and coming back to bite him again, as it
has now.
WHAT'S HELPING EDWARDS... AT THE MOMENT
John Edwards is lucky. Or, he may have taken a calculated risk in the
face of the upcoming book, and chosen to come clean now. The Haitian
earthquake relief efforts, and the future of health care reform following
the election of a republican to the U.S. Senate, are overshadowing his
story. Releasing negative news in this manner, when other major events
are capturing the media and the public’s attention, is a strategy to
consider. But there’s risk. The media may choose to shift it’s attention to
the announcement. That won’t happen in this case, but the risk is always
there.
THE STORY ISN'T OVER
There are questions about whether John Edwards used campaign funds
to try to cover up or in some way silence the people involved in his
current debacle. That’s a violation of federal law that could mean jail time
for Edwards. A federal investigation will also mean more negative news
coverage.
Let’s quickly recap… a denial and a lie, leading to weeks of negative
news coverage. An admission (which puts the negative story back into
the press) in advance of a tell-all book, (which will generate more
negative press). A potential investigation, (and prolonged negative media
coverage), about the use of campaign funds.
NEVER lie to the media.
Related articles
The Tiger Woods Affair
BP Oil Exec's Textbook P.R. Crisis Interview
Toyota: The Next Tyelenol or the Next O.J.?
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Top of Page Photo Credit:
J. Walczak
JohnEdwards.com
J. Walczak
JohnEdwards.com